Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 5 scratches & Liquidmetal for the next redesign?

j.dstasio

j.dstasio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 9, 2009
333
10
South Jersey
Preface: This is all simply an idea/ speculation of mine. I have no sources real or fictional.

So, as many people have seen... the black anodized aluminum scratches fairly easy. I am going to go out on a limb and say that after a year with the iPhone 5 & presumably a very similar design for the next iPhone (iPhone 5S) most people are going to have fairly scratched up iPhones. I'm not talking about the OCD MacRumors crowd that complains to the Apple Geniuses over a .01mm speck of silver showing & buys an 8-layer protective case... I'm speaking of the general public who toss their phone into their purse or pocket at will and who just deals with the looks of it. They will have looked at a scratched up iPhone for up to two years.

Liquidmetal is supposed to be more scratch resistant that most, if not all currently available alloys, and might possibly be ready for use in mass production in two years when the next major design would be due. Do you suppose that Apple could possibly have plans to use liquid metal in the next iPhone redesign? Could Apple be planning to make Liquidmetal's scratch resistance be the big selling feature? Maybe even having put a scratch prone iPhone out into the world this year so people would be excited to upgrade to the iPhone 6 (assumed name) and be excited for Apple's magical scratch resistant iPhone?

Just a theory.

I myself bought a 16gb black iPhone 5 on launch day. It came with several nicks in the beveled edge, but I dealt with it. I scratched it myself within 24 hours. I ended up returning it for a 32gb and went with white for that one knowing that it too would eventually scratch & it may be less noticeable. I'd be all over a Liquidmetal iPhone.
 
More than sure, that former peasants at the Foxconn factory are easily able to scratch or damage any surface, even liquidmetal. It is what always happens when you have only one way to manufacture huge volumes - just one chinese manufacturer.
 
I'm still a huge fan of carbon fiber(extremely lightweight and very strong) but since Moto has already went there I'm not holding my breath on that one.
 
NoMoreSony said:
More than sure, that former peasants at the Foxconn factory are easily able to scratch or damage any surface, even liquidmetal. It is what always happens when you have only one way to manufacture huge volumes - just one chinese manufacturer.
Click to expand...

Peasants?!... Nice way to describe human beings
 
SiPi said:
Peasants?!... Nice way to describe human beings
Click to expand...

Technically that's a term for farmers. Usually in a pre-industrial society. While it has a negative connotation, it's also a correct term, as many Foxconn employees were previously farm workers who took industrial jobs for better money.
 
jester0723 said:
Technically that's a term for farmers. Usually in a pre-industrial society. While it has a negative connotation, it's also a correct term, as many Foxconn employees were previously farm workers who took industrial jobs for better money.
Click to expand...

Well that makes it all ok then!... Wow
 
jester0723 said:
It is shatter prone.
Click to expand...

I've yet to see a bunch of shattered Razr's. Carbon Fiber as a material is brittle by nature as pure carbon fiber. But this isn't pure carbon fiber, it's coated.

But really, Apple made of phone out of glass. They aren't exactly afraid to use a shatter prone material.
 
Shatter prone or not, the weaved carbon look is pig ugly. On anything. Apple would never make the back of a phone out of it.
 
SiPi said:
Please calm down. This is an open forum
Click to expand...

You have no sense of irony do you?
Telling someone to calm down (seriously? The comment was literate and sensible considering the morons on this forum) as it is an "open forum" is a-typical of a free speech world where the only free speech is the one you want to here.
 
I must admit it humors me to see how many people have bought into Apple's PR\Marketing campaign on "liquid metal" ... and just repeat the term like it's the salvation of the mobile phone industry all the while you have no clue what it is you're even talking about.

Reminds me of when people walk around saying "I have LTE, how could you not have LTE. LTE is the most amazing thing ever." yet they don't even know what LTE stands for.
 
Greatorex said:
You have no sense of irony do you?
Telling someone to calm down (seriously? The comment was literate and sensible considering the morons on this forum) as it is an "open forum" is a-typical of a free speech world where the only free speech is the one you want to here.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by 'want to here'?!
 
shenan1982 said:
I must admit it humors me to see how many people have bought into Apple's PR\Marketing campaign on "liquid metal" ... and just repeat the term like it's the salvation of the mobile phone industry all the while you have no clue what it is you're even talking about.

Reminds me of when people walk around saying "I have LTE, how could you not have LTE. LTE is the most amazing thing ever." yet they don't even know what LTE stands for.
Click to expand...

I must admit it humours me when people talk nonsense. Apple have never, ever acknowledged their exclusivity deal with liquid metal, let alone used it in PR/Marketing.
 
I doubt they will use LM for the iPhone 5S. They will wait until the iPhone 6 for that.
 
Just Teflon coat after the anodize process. That would make the exterior finish a bit tougher for sure. It's a proven process and cheap to add.

Also the darker the anodize job the thicker it is. If all went a couple shades darker that might help as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back